Joaquin Phoenix, Jared Leto & Ryan Gosling Were Up For Doctor Strange

Earlier saw new Doctor Strange images as part of the latest issue of Empire Magazine, and now it's learned that different actors were in talks for Marvel's Sorceror Supreme than Benedict Cumberbatch.

Empire revealed that Benedict Cumberbatch initially passed on Doctor Strange due to keeping his promise for Hamlet.

“It just wasn’t possible,” director Scott Derrickson offered, as Doctor Strange was first set to be released in the Summer of 2016 . “To his credit [Benedict Cumberbatch] said, ‘I can’t bail out of Hamlet. I’ve given my word.’”

The article notes Derrickson met with “a lot of good actors,” including Joaquin Phoenix, Jared Leto and Ryan Gosling.

So how did Benedict Cumberbatch get the gig? Thank Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige who swooped in to save the day.

Marvel Studios head honcho, Kevin Feige, said, “It’s got to be Benedict,” and pushed back the Doctor Strange release date to November to accommodate Cumberbatch.

“I really did think I had to kiss it goodbye,” Cumberbatch said. “If you can’t jump on board when the ride’s going past, that’s usually it. So the hugest compliment they paid me was to come back to me. It motivated me to try to fulfil their faith in me.”

Marvel’s Doctor Strange follows the story of the talented neurosurgeon Doctor Stephen Strange who, after a tragic car accident, must put ego aside and learn the secrets of a hidden world of mysticism and alternate dimensions. Based in New York City’s Greenwich Village, Doctor Strange must act as an intermediary between the real world and what lies beyond, utilising a vast array of metaphysical abilities and artifacts to protect the Marvel cinematic universe.